 "Nikkei ends flat on disappointing China trade data")
Japanese stocks ended flat in lacklustre trade on Thursday after disappointing China trade data erased early gains made when minutes from the US Federal Reserve's monetary meeting eased worries over the timing of rate hikes.
Also hurting the market was Toyota Motor Corp, which dropped 2.4% and was the second most-traded stock by turnover on concerns that its latest global recall of vehicles will hit earnings.
The Nikkei ended flat at 14,300.12 after trading back and forth into positive and negative territory. Earlier, it rose as high as 14,513.14.
The broader Topix dropped 0.1% to 1,149.49 in thin trade, while the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 advanced 0.1% to 10,474.75.